Meet Physicians and Scientists

James W. Mold, MD'74, MPH, a pioneer for the concept of patient-centered health care, was honored with a Distinguished Alumnus Award during the 2018 Duke Medical Alumni Reunion in November.

When four Duke researchers developed an innovative technique for exploring the non-coding genome--the 98 percent of our DNA that does not encode protein sequences, often the genome's "dark matter"--the implications were clear.

Duke neurobiologist Diego Bohorquez, PhD, and neurologist Richard O'Brien, MD, PhD, discuss the vital connection between the human gut and the brain, and how this is offering insights into the development of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. They also discuss research into learning why a young brain can repair itself but an older brain cannot.

John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, MHSc, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, discusses how the Duke Cancer Institute is studying DNA and genetics with the goal of creating each individual's unique cancer "fingerprint" to offer targeted therapies.

Priya Kishnani, MD, MBBS, discusses the power of innovation and discovery and how Duke researchers are leading the way to develop ground-breaking treatments for rare diseases like Pompe disease.

Tolbert Wilkinson, MD’62, HS’64, a plastic surgeon, has thousands of people from all walks of life looking to erase their past and begin anew.

When K.V. Rajagopalan, PhD, arrived in the United States from India to begin his postdoctoral work in the Department of Biochemistry at Duke, he familiarized himself with the department’s members by reading their journal articles. Among them were a series of papers reporting startling research on oxygen radicals by a young biochemist named Irwin Fridovich, PhD’55.

Fumiko Chino, MD, a resident in radiation oncology, last summer co-authored research showing that the high cost of cancer care is a serious problem for many patients.

Lawrence David, PhD, studies this hidden world, the community of hundreds of different species of bacteria that make up each person's gut microbiome. We are seldom aware of their presence, but they interact with us in countless ways and play a profound role in determining our health. In a way, they help make us who we are.

Why do perfectly good cancer treatments suddenly stop working? Researcher and lymphoma survivor Kris Wood is finding answers.